Button-hole stitching and barring machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1.

J. H. REED.

' A BUTTON HOLE STITGHING AND EARRING MACHINE. No. 454,067.PatentedJun-e'l, 1891.

Fig. 1

F'T .4- MTN E: 5555- e NW2d-VDR."

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. J. H. REED.

BUTTON HOLE STITGHING AND BARRING'MACHINE.

Patented June 16,1891.

f mmm-' 7 ax... .A92

ru: Noms vnzws co Promuu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. REED, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE BUT-TONHOLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF KITTERY, MAlNE.

BUTTON-HOLE STITCHING AND EARRING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,067, dated June 16,1891.

Application filed March 9, 1888. Serial No. 266,667. (No model.)

T all whom, it Hetty concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES H. REED, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Button-Hole Stitching andBarring Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates especially to means or devices for automaticallyVbarring the end of an eyed button-hole and for sewing one or morelocking-stitches at the completion of the stitching of the bar, and itis represented as applied to th e machine shown and described in mypatent, No. 357,537, dated February 8, 1887.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view, principally in vertical centralsection, of a portion of the machine sniicient to illustrate thefeatures of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the work-plate withthe clamp-plate thereon, illustrating in dotted lines the position ofparts, to which reference will hereinafter be made. Fig. 3 is an outlinedetail view in full and dotted lines, to which reference willhereinafter be made. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged detail viewsillustrating the construction of the mechanism specially involved inthis invention. Fig. 7 is a view in plan of a stitched and barredbutton-hole, the bar not being locked. Fig. 8 represents the end of abutton-hole, showing the bar and the locking-stitch.

The class of machine to which the invention is applied is one thatemploys a movable clamp-plate, which is fed with an intermittentmovement upon a straight line toward the button of the machine, thenupon a circular path about it for half a revolution, and then againforward upon the same line as that upon which it originally started, andis a well-known form of clamp-plate. The machine to which the inventionis applied also employs but a single needle, using a singleneedle-thread, the needle being a straight-eye pointed needle and havinga reciprocating movement imparted to it, and also a traversing movement,whereby upon one stroke it passes through the material to present thethread to the looping devices and at the next stroke through thebutton-hole slit. In my said patent I described a device or mechanismfor automatically engaging the clampplate at the end of the stitching ofthe last side of the button-hole for automatically moving orreciprocating the clamp-plate upon its guidepin as a center, wherebyt-he needle, instead of entering the material in line with thebutton-hole slit, was caused to enter it upon the other side thereof,thereby making a stitch of about twice the length of that used institching the sides and eye, and as many barring stitches were thus madeas desired; but the end of the thread was not locked or secured. By mypresent invention the number of barringstitches sewed is limited, andbefore the machine comes to rest one or more short stitches of thelength used in stitching the sides and eye are sewed through the bar aslocking-stitches.

A represents the bed of the machine; c, the work-plate; c', theclamp-plate; B, the arm supporting the needle-bar; b, the needle-bar,and b the eye-pointed needle.

c2 is the guide-pin of the clamp-plate. The clamp-plate is guided andfed in relation to the button c3 as described in my said patent, and theneedle bar Vis operated as therein specified. The clamp-plate isrepresented as provided with a lateral extension C, which, upon therevolution or turning of the plate, is brought into position over thepin or stud D, and the stud D is released to engage this extension bythe contact of the clamp-plate with a block connected with a trippingdevice or latch adapted to release the pin or stud, as described in mysaid patent. The pin D is, upon being unlatched, thrown upward byits-spring d (see Fig. l) into position to engage the shoulder c uponthe plate or extension C, and it serves to move or draw the clamp-platea when operated by itsV cam in one direction in opposition to the springd', which spring serves to move the clamp-plate in a reverse directionupon the return of the pin D to its original position. This pin is movedas described in said patent.

In order to permit the sewing of the addi- IOO tionallocking-stitchesafter the sewing of the barring-stitches, it isnecessary that the pin D should be automatically disengaged from theplate C, and this I accomplish by means of a slide-block E, which ismounted upon the work-plate a of the machine and in proximity to thestud or pin D, and has an inclined surface e upon its under side, whichis moved over a shoulder c of the pin and serves to throw or move itdownward and to hold it in its lowest position or in a position whichprevents it from operating the clamp-plate. To bring this slide-block Einto this position in relation to the pin or post D, I avail myself of areciprocating movement ol' the clampplate a during the sewing of thebarringstitches, and I form upon the block E any desired number ofratchet-teeth c2 upon its upper surface, and I mount upon the undersideof the extension C of the clamp-plate a feedpawl which is restricted asto the extent of its downward movement by its rear end e striking theunder surface of the plate C, and which is located to engage the teethc? of the slide-block upon the movement of the clampplate to bring theextension Cover the reciprocating pin or stud D. The pawl being then ina position to engage the teeth e2, the slideblock is moved forward inrelation to the pin or stud D at each outward movement of theclamp-plate until the wedge or incline e, riding upon the shoulder c',throws the pin downward, when of course the clamp-plate is no longeroscillated and the length of the stitch is decreased to one-half thelength of the barring-stitch, and the feed of the clamp-plate havingbeen stopped the lockingstitch is taken through the previously-sewedbarringstitches. As many of these barring-stitches may be taken asdesired. This is regulated by the number of teeth cL upon the block Eand its length. Generally, however, two, three, or four are sufficient.4

To hold the slide-blockE during the downward movement of the pawl e3, Iemploy a detent-pawl e5, which en gages the teeth c upon the under sideof the slide-block. This pawl is pivoted to a stationary support c7 andhas its end csextcnded backward to receive and hold a post or stud c,which projects upward back of the slide-block into a position to bearagainst the under surface of the extension (l, when of course it hasbeen moved into a po sition over it, and the detent-pawl ci has ayielding connection with the stud e". There is also a spring el() fordrawing or moving the engaging end of the pawl downward or away from theblock E when the stud c is not held down by the extension C.

To return the slide-block automatically to its original position, Iemploy a spring c, which serves to return or draw back the block uponthe return of the clamp-plate after the sewing of the barring andlocking stitches to its original position, which removes the extension Cfrom over the pin D and slide-block and the pin c, thereby permittingthe detentpawl to be disengaged, removing the ,feedpawl, and allowingthe spring to return the block to its normal position.

In operation the work is clamped upon the clamp-plate and the machine isset in operation, the clamp-plate is caused to bc operated in relationto the button andthe needle to be actuated as above specified, and theturning of the clamp-plate and its forward movement finally bring it incontact with the block, which releases thepin or stud D. The extension Cthen being in operative position in relation to it, the clam p-plate isoscillated and the barring stitches sewcd an d the mechanism for causingthe automatic sewing of the locking-stitches set in operation and thelockingstitches sewed.

I would say that I do not confine myself to the especial form or detailof the mechanism herein specified, but may use in lieu thereof any oft-he mechanical equivalents for obtaining the result desired.

The automatic locking ofthe bar by shorter stitches sewed through thebar as an automatic operation following the sewing of the bar lfconsider to be of very material importance in allmachines organized tosew witha single-needle thread a long bar consisting of a number of longstitches across the end of the button-hole.

Having thus fully described my invention I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Pat` ent of the United Statesl. The combination, in abutton-hole stitching and barring machine, of a single reciprocatingeye-pointed needle and mechanism for imparting to ita traversing orstep-by-step motion, suitable looping mechanism, a clampplate supportingclamps for holding the work and its feed mechanism for moving it in relation to the stitch-forming devices, a recipro` eating device to engagethe clamp-plate by a latch and impart to it an oscillating movementduring the stitching of the bar of the button-hole, the said latch, anda latch-disengaging slide-block to disengage the latch connecting thesaid clamp-plate with said reciprocating device after the sewing ofbarringstitches, but before the machine is stopped, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination, in a machine for stitching and barring button-holes,of a reciprocating eyepointed needle having a traversing or step-by-stepmovement imparted to it, suitable looping mechanism, a clamp-platesupporting clamps for holding the work and havnga suitable feed movementin relation to the stitch-forming devices impart-ed to it, a pin carriedby a reciprocating block, a catch to hold the pin down in the block, aspring to force it upward therefrom, alatch actuated by the clamp-plateto disengage said pin, the spring d', and a device for automaticallyreturning the clalnp-plate-operating pin to its original or normalposition, operated by the clamp-plate, and comprising, essentially, apawl carried by the clamp-plate and a wedge- IOO IIO

block having ratchet-teeth arranged to engage the pin and force itdownward upon its movement by the said pawl, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in'a button-hole stitching and barring machine, ofthe reciprocating and vibrating needle b', suitable looping devices, theclamp-plate a, having two straight feeding movements and a circularrotary feeding movement between the same and having an extension C, areciprocating block carrying a pin, stud, or post D, a spring forforcing said pin or stud upwardly to engage the eX- tension C, alatch-plate to hold the pin, stud, or post depressed in thereciprocating block, operated by the clamp-plate to release said pin,stud, or post, a pawl carried by the clampplate, a slide-blockE forforcing the pin downward in its block and having ratchet-teeth adaptedto be engaged by said pawl, and the spring d', substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination, in a button-hole stitchin g and barring machine, ofthe reciprocating,

and vibrating needle b', suitable looping devices, the clamp-plate ct',having two straight feeding movements and a circular rotary feedingmovement between the same and having an extension C, a reciprocatingblock carrying a pin, stud, or post D, a spring for forcing said pin,stud, or post upwardly to engage the extension C .to givethe'clamp-plate an oscillating movement during the stitching of the bar,the latch-block E, having awedge or inclined surface, and theratchet-teeth e2, and ratchet-teeth c, a feed-pawl e3, attached to theclamp-plate, the detent-pawl e5, and the spring d', substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, in abutton-hole stitching and barring machine, ofthe reciprocating and vibrating needle b', suitable looping devices, theclamp-plate a', having two straight feeding movements and a circularrotaryfeeding movement between the same and having an extension C, areciprocating block carrying a pin, stud, or post D, a spring forforcing said pin, stud, or post upwardly to engage the extension C togive the clamp-plate an oscillating movement during the stitching of thebar, the spring d', the latch-block E, provided with a Wedge-surface andwith the ratchetteeth e2 e, a feed-pawl e3, carried by the clampplateand oscillated therewith, the detent-pawl e5 and means for releasing itfrom engagement with the teeth c, and the latch-blockreturn spring e,substantially as described,

JAMES H. REED.'

Witnesses:

CHAs. L. BEALE,

F. RAYMOND, 2d.

